Winter's Gift and Joy
by Albel The Bloody
Summary: This story takes place into Albel's past and sees what had made him today on Elicoore II. The time perid takes place after the universe was saved and that all the gang together on a "Special Day" of the year.


(Part I)

As the snow falls softly around Ariglyph castle, three children play around in the snow making angels of snow and humanoid snow figures/creatures. There was one boy in particular who stood out the most with his black hair, blonde tips and around the age of 8. He played a lot with the children in the street during the snow seasons. He had a huge smile of joy that the children sometimes mess around with but still remain playful to one another. His parents watch from the distance to see how their child will grow up in the times they can spare. Unfortunately the mother is suffering of a sickness unknown to the doctors of Ariglyph. With her remaining time on Elicoore II she would rather spend time with her son than her services to the kingdom. As for the father, Glou Nox held her hand tight for her times. He, who holds the title of Captain of the Dragon Brigade, would continue her duties to Ariglyph in her place, as she rests and enjoys her every last moments with her family. Soon the boy comes in their area to greet them and tells his tales of all he did today with his new friends. One day when the blonde tip child sat next to his mother in bed, she told him a story that she dreamed about. The little boy perked his ears, so he can listen to every detail.

_Once upon a time there was a little girl who had lost everything in her life. She lost her family, friends, emotion/feelings, and nearly her own life. She was left behind in her own world that no one around her would reach out to help her. One day a figure appeared in front of her. She refused everything from the figure as it speaks to her, but it was persistent. Soon she began to run as far away as she can from the being. It followed her until it trips a few times and pants deeply for air as it still tries to catch up to her. Once she glanced back to see how is he doing and if he's alright. She starts to question why she is worrying about him and soon she starts to giggle. In a long time she had lost her emotion she starts to regain each happy and fun moment. After another glance the being was starting too sweet and breathing more deeply. She laughed very hardly as she continues to run around the streets and the people around were surprised to see her smiling and laughing. They soon question about her behaviour, but it didn't matter to them because for someone who made her regain her life was probably a gift from the heavens. As the heavens received the message of the people it had began to snow. Soon the girl stopped for air and notices the snow and its beauty. The being finally caught up with her and notice many expression on her face. It was please to see her with life in her again and soon began to walk the opposite of her direction. She noticed it leaving and soon she went after it. Once in perfect view she asked it 'Why did you help me for?' The being didn't reply to her but gave her a present. She didn't understand why is it doing this, but her question was going to be answered. 'Because during these types of times in life one must not give up, and good children like you deserve something nice.' It enlighten a light that reviled no face on its face nor a gender but wore a red suite with white cotton on the end of the sleeves, white hat with an cotton ball on its pointed tip, red pants with a small black belt, and finally black stringed boots. Soon the being starts to fade away and the young girl begged to her what's its name. It was too late, the being disappeared and all was left was the box that he had given to her._

The little anxious boy question what was in the box and the mother just patted his head and soon continued her story.

_The box held a paper tied to a string before opening it and it was as read;  
To: Karen  
From: Red Cloth Being  
The Girl was shocked that it was her name on it and that this person who wares a red cloth, knew her name without them exchanging their names. Than when she opened it, inside was a beautiful silver chain necklace with emerald colour jewel connected to a smaller chain with a dark crimson colour ruby in the middle of the surrounding emerald, the ruby held large wings of an archangel. Once she clutched the necklace in her hand and pressed it to her chest, she looked up into the sky. She wished that he would meet him/her again, but her wish didn't come true until the end. She wondered and wondered but no luck turned up. She starts to think that they'll probably not meet again._

The boy looked kind of sad at the end of her story, but the boy soon foundered why she told him this story. Right away the boy notices something familiar around the mothers' neck to the story. "Mommy, why do you have the same one as the girl in the story?" The mother just smiled and reached out to her son. The boy was getting upset because he didn't get his answer from his mother, but she soon whispered something into his ears.

"Because, I have my beliefs that you'll probably meet Santa and also your mother was indeed that child in the story from a long time ago." Back to her laying down position, she rests in her bed for one last time to see her son's smile. The boy hugged her and left the room to head to his bed. When the young boy left the room Glou came out of the shadow and kneed down to hold her hand. Silence illuminated in the air until one of them spoke

"Is it near that time isn't it dear." He places his head in the covers not looking into her painful look of her face.

"Yes. I think my time is up probably at midnight." Receive a little tightening around her delicate hands. She understands the pain he is going through that is more suffering than what she is going through. She let go of his grip for him to perk his head up while she tries to get up. He thought that she already left, which gave him a big shock and when his face was out of the covers, he saw the same expression as how they meet for the first. Her smile brings the light from the dark of night, her glacial eyes so clear that the souls she sees and her own are as pure as the heaven's snow, and her long black shine like the silk of the riches. Once up he helped her walked to their sons' room for one last time for her to see him.

As Glou opens up the door slowly since the boy had good hearing and will get up. The mother went in first to glance at the sleepy boy. She soon notices the boy ruffling around with the covers which earned her a small giggle. She grabbed hold at the covers and pulled it gently, nice and straight on top of the boy's small body. Brushing off his messy manes she lays a small kiss on the forehead before leaving the room. The little boy stopped moving and fell asleep soundly. She soon whispered quietly as the nights wind pass by around the house/estate. "Good bye Albel, my beautiful son." With that she walks up to her husband as he closes the door behind her and heads to the balcony to view their country.

Once in view Glou held her close to each others' body as the snow halts it fall and a warm wind passes instead of the cold winds of night. As she felt the winds she felt weak and couldn't keep up her own body weight and nearly fell down if Glou didn't kept her up with his single arm strength. From down the hall the great grandfather clock strikes midnight. She felt like time has slowed down around her as her she starts to feel her death consumes her whole. Glou wouldn't stand by as she steps on to deaths door steps. He persistently called out her name many times but nothing was stopping.

_Dong_ dark curves starts to show under her eyes. _Dong_ he held her tightly into his arms begging her to keep on living for a bit longer. _Dong_ she moves her arms to clamp them onto his cheeks. _Dong _she wipes of his tears as she forms up her own. _Dong _she speaks with her final breath. "Don't worry, I'll be alright even in my death I won't be alone." _Dong_ "Make sure that you watch over our son from now on okay... dear." The last bell struck and with her last smile, her eyes closed forever and will never open up from the forever dream she'll have. Glou couldn't hold it in even though he knew it would come to this. He held so close and yelled to the heavens for why she had to be taken away from his heart and her family.

"Uoowahh!" Glou cries for his beloved in his arms and as his cries reach to the streets, lights starts to show through the windows of the houses. The citizens knew of this cry as a captain who has lost wife and they all pray for his recovery and for the heavens to watch over all of them.

Morning has struck as the sun light shines through the halls of the Nox estate and into the young Albel's window to his face. His crimson eyes start to peer open and once adjusted to the light he got out of bed right away and headed to his mothers room to greet the door was open all he saw in the bed was her body with a white silk cloth covering her face. Albel was going to see her, but Glou stopped him mid way to the other side of the room.

"Daddy, why are you not letting me see mommy? Did something happen while I was asleep? Why aren't you answering me? Daddy, Daddy?" The young Albel questioning his father since he never understood anything around until this day.

"Albel, it is very hard to tell you this, but you deserve to know and afterwards what you'll do in life. For the pasts months that your mother decides to stay at the house instead of her duties to our king is..." Albel looked confused at what his father is telling and once heard it his pupils grew wide at the shocking news. "Your mother caught a sickness that is incurable and now it had taken her life last night."

"N-no that can't be true. Mommy was happy and laughing with you and me. We were being a family together in a long time." With his small manes covering his eyes as he cries, Glou cried as well though he had already drained his tears out. Seeing his son crying for his wife, refilled his eyes with water. He kneed down and hugged his son as both of them crying together.

* * *

The sky grew grey as it rain down wet snow from the heavens as they cry for their trouble times. The funeral took toll as noble members, relatives, knights from the dragon brigade appeared to pray for their lost love one. Once it ended everyone left as well as the knights who were ordered to return to their posts by the captain's command. All that's left is Albel and Glou who held mementos to their mother/wife. Once placed on the grave, Albel turned to looked straight into his fathers' eyes and tells him a vow.

"Father, I-I want to be a knight just like you and mother so that I don't want to lose anyone close to me ever again!" Glou looked into his son's face and notice it still hold some sorrow, but showed something sinister. Glou held up a smug of gratitude for keeping up his spirit even in rough times. He reached out his hand to pat Albel on the head and accepted what he'll do in life starting today.

"Alright then from here on I'll train you in the way of the swordsmen ship and techniques." Albel was going to smile at what he had told him but was halted. "But Walter will also instruct you of strategy and leadership." Albel let out a frown and spoke like a whinny child (though he is 8 yr. old).

"**Walter! **He is an old man. I know he still hold title as captain of the Storm brigade, but he can't fight at his current age." Albel felt something creeping up from behind. As he turns slowly, standing right in front of him was that same 'old man'.

"Albel." He calls his name and a nice tone, but Albel felt something behind his voice something he might've regretted. "I might be old, senile man but... There are many things you can learn and I shall teach you with every detail." With his eyes staring down at the young lad which Albel felt like he was paralyzed and that he couldn't breathe at all.

Glou approached Walter to question him on a few details what'll happen to Albel from here and onwards also that he might be putting on some pressure gaze on his son. "Walter let us discuss about the Fire Assecion That he is going to take." Right as he mentions it Albel broke free from Walters gaze and question what he just said.

"Father, what is this Fire Assecion you speak of? I think I've heard it from somewhere, but can't put it into my head of what it is." Albel crossing his arms with his head tilted downwards. Glou on the other hand was amazed that his son broke out of Walter's gaze who sometimes takes time to break free from.

"Well my son, the Fire Assecion is a tradition to the Glyphians for those who join one of the military groups, mainly the Dragon Brigade." Albel continue to nod his head until he remembers and gets it. "It takes place at the Ersan Lava Caves where we get tasted by the great dragon tribe and see if you are worthy or not to ride them. If succeed you become a dragon brigade soldier, but if you fail..." Glou just stood there staring in the air to tell him the rest and if it'll scare him or not. Albel soon steps off of his position and spoke.

"You get burned by the dragons correct." Glou watches him tremble at the thought though he tries not to show it, but his hands griped onto his arm so they wouldn't shake of fear.

"Don't worry you're going to make it through it. Besides you'll learn fight moves from me and learn the art of combat and strategist from Walter's knowledge." Hearing those from his father inspired him a bit but still had his worries. "Also you're the son of the captain of the strongest military and closest to his majesty hands." with a smile Albel's worries disappeared and soon begin his training.

Much time has passed by even days, months, even years since the incident and enduring it over his shoulder, Albel trains with his father of the way to wield blades. Albel developed his way to hold a katana using only one hand. While under Walter's watch, whenever he doesn't want to learn any topic he gets pulled into a headlock, his left arm forced to his back (since he writes with his left), and doubling his reading and writing time. Walter might've been a lot of pain in the dragon hind, but he did teach him a lot of the histories and strategies. One time, Albel developed a little training of his own to withstand the weather around him. Outside on the white blanket covered grass field he would lose some of his cloths and only wear short to get adjust to nature rough season, but as a result he ends up getting a cold or one time a fever, but recovers quickly and does it again.

At an age of 11 he challenge some of the Dragon Brigades' soldiers to a spar, but most of them didn't seriously took him as a warrior until one of them was knocked out cold against his blade. The rest were furies and they all came charging at him. Glou arrived at the room when it was happening and was going to stop them until he saw something that stopped in on the spot. Albel grew a wicked smirk on his face with his crimson eyes gleam for bloodshed, but held back and preformed a dance while evading each of their attacks and knocking them down one body at a time with the back of the blades non-sharp edge. One of the soldiers managed to get himself up with minimal strength, but brought back to the ground by Albel's boot.

"Do you surrender? Or do you wish a painful _death_?" with a grin that brought his mind to amusement, watching his opponent squirm underneath him almost like a _maggot_. As he held the tip of his sword to his opponents' throat, his father stepped in to stop his son.

"Albel that is enough!" with his voice Albel snapped out of what he was doing. He withdrew his blade into the sheath and walk to his father side. As Albel was going to speak, he got hit on the head. "Albel, did you not learn anything from Walter's studies?" Albel still rubbing his head, nodded at his question for an answer. Glou bent down to Albel's height and told him something that'll probably shock him. "Within four years from now you'll going to take the Fire Assecion and if you succeed, you'll be the new captain of the Dragon Brigade."

"**What!?** Father I can't take your place I-I'm still weak." caught off guard, Albel received a flick on his forehead by Glou.

"Don't worry my son, I won't let anything happen to you and I'll always be there for you." with that he heads towards the door with Albel following him right behind.

Now at the age of 15, he sturdy from his sleep and tries to remembered what was going on. Waking up with his messy long mains, and long hair which he now braids them with a white cloth. After his wakening he had been forced in a rush for his Assecion, so now here he is in a wagon look carriage with approximately five knights from the Dragon Brigade and the lieutenant Vox, ridding a head of the group making sure the paths are okay to voyage through. He looked at his father who was watching him sleep this whole time, and was getting really ticked off of the thought of what he was doing to him. Instead of questioning his father, he just slouched in his seat with is left leg's ankle over his right's knee. Walter happen to be with them to watch Albel succeed his trail. The long silenced trip to the Ursan Lava Cave didn't take long since the ties between Ariglyph and Aquaria haven't broken out in war... yet. They stopped at a nearby waterfall for the horses to drink up and the entrance to the Ursan Lava Cave was right at the rear of the same falls.

Once inside the cave there were a few pillars in tacked, while others are in ruins. This place was once a temple to the Marquise (Elder or King Dragon) since the Fire Assecion takes it tasks not by any kind of humans or humanoids but the dragons themselves. A great iron Door stood in between Albel's main force and the Assecion's Trail.

The soldiers and lieutenant Vox pushed with all their might to open the twenty time tone metal door, but instead got blow away by a mighty roar of the dragons inside (Also that the dragons roar had a result of pushing the door outward which they were at). Albel just stood there with the feeling that he was being gulped up by a huge beast unlike he had felt before. Glou gave a nudge to Albel for him to snap out of his trance and resume his reality that was standing in front of him.

Once they entered many dragons gathered around the room, mostly the cliff edges of the opening in the ceiling which reaches to the outside world. A huge shadow appeared on the floor and came in through that same opening was the marquis himself Crosell. Once inside a huge gust of ash went flying everywhere to make it clear for his arrival. The dust revealed many skulls that laid around the whole stage with scorched armour, with weapons sticking out of the floor. The marquis stretched his neck out to see who would be tested yet again. As Crosells' sharped dragon eye stares into Albels' crimson eyes, Albel starts to feel a tremendous pressure that rattled his whole bone structure that if it were falling apart just like towers lower interior destroyed (which means no lower support, no balance, and then puff goes the tower).

"ALBEL! Snap out of it and face him as a man." Glou yells so that he can reach to him. Once received into his ear he stood up and glares at his challengers' sharp eye. Glou noticed what Albel had done was his eyes that stare into the opponents mind that reads of their fears and puts it into usage (made up by the way).

Crosell drew back his neck in order to decide if he is worthy or to be turn into charcoaled. As he reflects on his previously was a scared little child, but changed into a warrior that held no fear thanks to the people that helped him in all his way to where he is today. Crosell came to a conclusion to what he'll be.

"The one known as Albel Nox, You've had shown an improvement of your mind as a leader." Albel sigh of relieve of what he heard with Glou smiling at what the Marquis mention. "But, your soul tells a different story to what mask you ware over your face. That alone can't fool me. That and it will not be enough to pass my eyes, so this is your end." Everyone gasping at what the Marquis had just said which states that Albel failed and to be killed. "Since you acknowledge the trails will lead you to your death if failed then I'll make it quick."

He draws in air surrounding him, down his windpipe to breath out his mighty fire to roast Albel. Albel trembled at the fact that he had failed and knew that he wasn't strong enough and yet-

"I… I don't want to DIE!" Albel screaming out loud at his soon to be death penalty. The thought of his life was valuable that he didn't want to die this early in life.

As the fire spews out from the mouth of the Marquis and reaching towards him, a figure appeared in front to take the blow instead of Albel. The figure stared at his face and it came to a shock that it was Glou who took his place. Now Albel was in greater misery than his own life to be taken, instead was his own fathers' life. He tried reaching out to him so that he can save him, but got his left arm burned when he was trying to get close to him.

Crosell notice this bold and reckless act and stopped his dragon fire. "One would be enough for this trail, now get out of my sight." as he spoke for all the dragons for an act of mercy by using someone else's life instead of one own. Albel just stood there in shock of what his father had done. His head looked down on to the floor with his right arm over his badly burned arm. Suppressing the pain but couldn't think at all with his eyes gone completely blank. One glance back at the young boy, he let out a word from Crosell which snapped Albel back to his senses 'Coward'.

Albel rose up with his legs and grabbed onto his fathers' sword (Which is indeed the same Crimson Scourge) and tries to catch up to the Marquis.

As he was meters away he grabbed the hilt of the handle and began to unsheathe it, a voiced echoed in his head. _'You aren't ready to wield me yet young blood-line one' _the voice repeatedly in his head that cause him to collapse. As he falls he cursed himself for being weak. The other soldiers just stood there doing nothing until Vox took command of the situation.

"Did you not here me, I said to Retreat!"

"W-what about lord Nox?" One of the soldiers tries to remain calm

"Forget him, he cost us our leader's death."

"But it's his father after all and-

"I Don't Give A Crap For That little Brat!" Vox grabbing the soldiers' chest plate close to him and pushed him away.

With that, the rest of them followed him with regret for both Glou their captain and Albel his son who has now lost everything. Albel just laid there on the dusty ash floor with his left arm burning and bleeding out. With the old ashes everywhere, it starts to infest in his opened burned wounds, Albel tries to cry out of pain and needed help. No one can hear him and neither can he hear himself. A figure stood in front of him, but couldn't see clearly and fell into a dark slumber.

Albel can't understand this vision he is seeing and wonders if this is hell he is seeing. Two shadows stood before him reaching out to him since he was on his knees. When he looked up they had his mother and father's faces. As he reaches his hand to them, their hands turn to bones with Elizabeth face covered with a white sheet shielding the face while Glou body burned all over and still on fire. He was so lonely in this world that he wished that he had died instead of them. The vision turned into a nightmare for him because of him being so weak that he couldn't protect anyone around him. Heat soon starts to consume him as it did to his father but this fire burning very slowly on his arm causing him eternity of pain and suffering before it actually ceases him whole.

End of Part I

May people who reads this may suffer some sense of distortion (the feeling of a cliff hanger), but worry not the second part will reveal the rest and more longer paragraph.


End file.
